God is Bigger Than… Running Out of Gas
You know that little dinging noise that cars make as they’re running low on gas? They put that feature on cars for people like me. A few weeks ago I borrowed my son’s 1995 red T-top Camaro. The car’s a sweet ride but there’s no little dinging noise for absent minded people like me. So I ran out of gas. Total failure. But do you know what my husband said when I called him from the side of the road? He said “Sure, I’ll come get you. How often do I get to come rescue my damsel in distress?” He was so precious, maybe I didn’t totally fail after all.
If you think about it, most of us spend a lot of energy trying not to fail. We set goals, make plans and devise strategies all to avoid failure. But who are we to say what failure really is? Do you ever wonder what Jesus calls failure?
In Matthew 25 Jesus told a story of a man who was went on a journey but entrusted three servants with some of His money. The first servant was given 5 coins. He put them to work for the Master and made 5 more coins. The second servant was given 2 coins. He put them to work for the master and made 2 coins. The last servant, frightened of failure, buried the coin he was given in the ground.
When the master returned he was so thrilled with servant number one and two that He gave them promotions and called them good and faithful servants. But the last servant he called a “wicked lazy servant”. The only one that failed is the one that did nothing.
In this story, the Master is God and the servant are believers like you and me that have been blessed by God with gifts. When I hear this story, I relate to servant number two. He’s the guy that was given some gifts to do some things for the Lord but instead of feeling like a good and faithful servant, I’d be looking at servant #1 thinking I could have done more. Maybe you can relate. For me, the problem begins when I look at myself and only see what I haven’t done instead of acknowledging what I’ve already accomplished. Basically, I start feeling like a disappointment or- dare I say it?… a failure.
But was the master disappointed in servant #2? Of course not. He gave servant number two a promotion and a new title: Good and Faithful Servant. How cool is that? The only failure in the story is servant that did nothing. Servant number two was a success because he used the gifts God gave him. Do you use your abilities to do an honest day’s work? Do you try to treat others with respect and charity? Do you care for your family with love and concern? Then you’re not burying your gifts from God in the dirt, you’re using them to work for the Lord. Just because you’re pulling in two coins instead of five doesn’t mean you’re not a success. Stop waiting to be a success. Each time you use your gifts for the Lord you succeed. Look at your accomplishments through the eyes of God. Listen to Him say to you “Well done good and faithful servant!”
